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44 Reasons Why I had an Unsuccessful Semester
Below are factors presented by a select group of students who were suspended from
the University following their first year. Students requesting readmission were
asked to identify factors that contributed to their unsuccessful first year.
The students’ reflections are representative of the experiences of many
unsuccessful students who wanted another opportunity.
- I allowed
myself to underestimate the difficulty of the classes I selected.
- I did not
take the time to meet with the professors to find out exactly what was
required of the classes.
- My first semester, I tried
my hardest to do well and follow my high school scholastic standing;
however, I gave up too easily.
- My lack of
responsibility got me into serious trouble.
- I was
unable to prioritize my studies, job, and personal life.
- Teachers
were very strict about assignments and attendance.
- I was not
paying a hundred percent attention to my studies.
- My
suspension was a result of poor study habits, and a slow adaptation to
university life.
- CAS staff
was actually serious about going to tutoring and mentoring.
- I had to
adapt myself to this brand new life and atmosphere.
- I did not
take advantage of all the services available to me.
- I failed
my sociology class because it intimidated me because there were at least 200
people in that class.
- I realized
that I brutally wasted my time and money by not achieving a good grade point
average.
- The
biggest change that I have gone through this last month is my attitude.
- My failure
was caused by poor study habits. I spent too much time at the “REC”. I
would rush through it to participate in other activities.
- I always
put things off until later instead of attending to them right away.
- Since this
was my first time away from home, I was extremely overwhelmed with my new
found independence.
- Due to my
class schedule and my 25 hour per week work schedule, I was unable to
receive help at the specified times.
- It was
difficult for me to adjust to the noise, the activity, and the style of
living which are typical of dormitory life.
- During my
first year I made mistakes with my study habits because I never put the
proper time in my studies.
- This year
I felt that I needed to get adapted to my surroundings and really did not
think of the effect that my irresponsibility would cause.
- I feel
working led me to scholastic probation.
- I have put
school first in my life and everything else second. I know I am a better
student than what my grades show.
- My not
having good discipline played a major role. I didn’t have the discipline to
tell my friends I did not want to party.
- After I
worked really hard on one particular assignment, I would slack off or take
some time off, hurting my grade and the opportunities to succeed in the
particular class.
- The
factors that contributed to my suspension were personal, such as financial
difficulty and the illness and death of my brother. I am aware that my
personal problems were not reason enough as to why I did not succeed
academically this past semester, but the things that were going on in my
life were very stressful.
- I was
accepted in a group that I thought I’d never be accepted into, and my head
got too high. I got lazy in my studies, thinking that the good grades would
just come to me.
- I was
going through problems that were very stressful. I had gotten pregnant
while I was at school, and I didn’t want to tell my parents.
- Money
problems forced me to work which took time away from my books.
- I
discovered that I was prone to anxiety prior to and during the testing
process. Unfortunately, this realization came during second semester.
- Factors
that I believe contributed to my academic suspension: low self-confidence,
low self-motivation, and mediocre study habits.
- My lack of
effort was one of the main problems.
- I thought
it was going to be easy adapting myself to the new atmosphere.
- I needed
to spend less time with my friends and more time studying.
- The time I
took for social activities also contributed to my suspension. I sometimes
spent too much time involved in social activities and did not manage my time
well enough.
- I had
difficulties in taking some tests. I found that the information that I had
been studying off of the study sheets was not the same information that had
been put on these exams.
- I am shy
so when I had questions I didn’t ask them;I should have.
- I had
family and relationship problems to deal with in addition to my school work
and I tried to downplay my problems.
- I never
told anyone why I was doing poorly in school because I thought that I would
get through it on my own which was my downfall.
- Mom was
not there to take care of me.
- I had some
problems adjusting to new surroundings, being on my own, and being away from
home.
- I worked
part-time to meet financial needs. This took too much of my study time.
- I didn’t
go to class on a regular basis and I didn’t know what the teacher was
talking about when I did show up.
- I did not
have the money to buy the books needed for my classes.
Seymour Bryson, Ph.D. Associate Chancellor for
Diversity
Do not reproduce without permission of the author.
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